Press Releases

Washington, DC—A record number of state and federal elected officials will roll up their sleeves to serve local communities across the country tomorrow, Monday, January 18, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

Web Professionals to Use Expertise to Meet Non-profits' and Local Schools' Tech NeedsWashington, DC—The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Corporation for National and Community Service launched the MLK Technology Challenge, a national call to web professionals to volunteer their skills on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, January 18.

Washington, DC— Even during an economic slowdown, a growing number of major U.S. companies are investing money, supplies, and employee time to make a difference in their communities by supporting the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.From sponsoring service projects to marshalling their employees as volunteers to offering financial support and expertise, businesses across the country are honoring Dr. King and helping further his dream by supporting the annual holiday as “a day on, not a day off.”

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., challenged our Nation to recognize that our individual liberty relies upon our common equality. In communities marred by division and injustice, the movement he built from the ground up forced open doors to negotiation. The strength of his leadership was matched only by the power of his words, which still call on us to perfect those sacred ideals enshrined in our founding documents.

Washington D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives is calling on Americans to pay tribute to the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by participating in community service projects on the January 18 King Holiday.

Fighting Poverty, Community Renewal, and Economic Empowerment Focus of Projects on National Day of Service
Washington, DC— In projects taking place across the nation on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Americans will further Dr. King's work by addressing the challenges facing many American families, from hunger and homelessness to poverty and education inequality.

Congressman John Lewis, NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, Usher, and Actor Ed Norton to Headline Events on King Holiday as Service AmbassadorsWashington, DC— Civil rights icons, national service leaders, academics, and celebrities are among those named as this year's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service Ambassadors.

The Corporation for National and Community Service hosted a funders discussion call on January 11, 2010 to discuss the draft Notice of Funs Availability (NOFA) for the Social Innovation Fund.
Listed to the call (MP3 audio)

National Service Agency Calls for a “Day On, Not a Day Off”Washington, DC— With the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service just days away, the Corporation for National and Community Service is urging Americans to honor Dr. King's memory and further his legacy by joining in service projects in their communities on the January 18 King Holiday.

President Obama calls on Americans to mentor and help guide the lives of young peopleWashington, DC – The Corporation for National and Community Service joins with Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health, and MENTOR to kick off the Ninth Annual National Mentoring Month and launch a national volunteer recruitment drive to mentor. General Colin Powell will headline the month-long initiative and more than fifty partners will help to raise awareness of the impact of mentoring on the lives of young people.

Anticipated $200 million in public-private funding will support transformative solutions to major social challenges and improve nation's challenge-solving infrastructure WASHINGTON, DC – The Corporation for National and Community Service released a draft Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for its 2010 Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grant competition today. The Corporation is soliciting public feedback on the funding notification through January 15, 2010.

Washington, DC—In response to President Obama's executive Memorandum on Tribal Consultation, the Corporation for National and Community Service held its second conference call with tribal leaders today. Ron Lessard, the agency's Strategic Advisor for Native American Affairs, who led the conference call, sought the input of tribal leaders on the parameters of a comprehensive agency-wide policy on tribal consultation.

Funds to Support Corporation's United We Serve and Cities of Service InitiativesWashington, DC - The Citi Foundation has made a $50,000 grant to the Corporation for National and Community Service to support the agency's efforts to engage Americans in service to address pressing local and national needs.

Washington, DC -- Congress today gave final approval to the Fiscal 2010 budget for the Corporation for National and Community Service, making a historic investment in the agency and its programs at a time of mounting social needs and renewed interest in citizen service.

Washington, DC - The Corporation for National and Community Service announces a funding opportunity of an anticipated $7.3 million for new Learn and Serve America Higher Education grants. The funding will support institutions of higher education that use innovative service-learning programming to meet the needs of local communities, and programs that foster lifelong civic engagement among students.

Washington, D.C. - Iris L. Dooling, a former AmeriCorps member whose service included terms with Teach for America and the Indiana Reading Corps, has been named the Eli Segal Fellow at the Corporation for National and Community Service, the national service agency that oversees AmeriCorps.

United We Serve: Feed A Neighbor Initiative Mobilizes,Equips Americans to Help End Hunger Washington, DC—The Corporation for National and Community Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the White House joined together to launch the United We Serve: Feed A Neighbor initiative today to help combat hunger this winter. The new initiative raises awareness of hunger issues and equips Americans with the resources to mobilize against the hunger crisis.

Leaders kick off local planning for world's largest volunteer gathering, June 28-30, 2010 New York City – Signifying the growing high-level momentum for service, organizers of the 2010 National Conference on Volunteering and Service today announced a dynamic and influential group of national leaders to serve on the host committee for the annual conference, taking place June 28-30 in New York City.

Washington, DC - The Corporation for National and Community Service released its Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Financial Report (AFR), which presents an overall assessment of agency performance, including financial management and audit. The report confirms that the agency and its programs are meeting critical needs in education, youth development, disaster relief, health and other human needs in communities across the country through high quality service programs.

Washington, DC - On the heels of Veterans Day, the Corporation for National and Community Service hosted a conference call today to promote funding opportunities to support programs that leverage veterans' skills and expertise to serve local communities through its Veterans Corps, a program authorized by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. These funds are part of the $363 million requested in the President's FY 2010 budget for the AmeriCorps program.

U.S. Senator Warner and Representative Sarbanes to DiscussDevelopment of Veterans Corps Washington, DC – Nicola Goren, Acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service will be joined by U.S. Senator Mark Warner (VA) and RepresentativeJohn Sarbanes (MD) on a national conference call to discuss new funding opportunities to support veterans service and military families on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 2pm.

Lead Sponsor Target Lends Early Support to Points of Light Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Service; Record Attendance ExpectedATLANTA – Points of Light Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Service announced today that the 2010 National Conference on Volunteering and Service will be held in New York City, June 28-30. This event is the nation's largest convening on service and civic engagement and will bring together more than 4,000 volunteer and service leaders and social entrepreneurs from around the world.

Earlier this month, I joined the President in New Orleans for his first visit there since the election. A key part of the President's message was that the Gulf Coast's recovery didn't flow just from government programs and policies: